MORE FOCUS NEEDED ON PROVIDING VISION CARE TO AGEING POPULATION SAYS CANADIAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND IN LAUNCHING NEW CAMPAIGN

Canadians need "The Vision Care We Deserve," including better access to approved treatments, care and equipment

OTTAWA, June 21, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - Governments must make vision care a
greater health priority to ensure all Canadians have access to
appropriate, comprehensive and approved vision care and treatments
through the public health system, the Canadian Council of the Blind
(CCB) says in launching a new national campaign called "The Vision Care
We Deserve."

Serious vision impairment is a major health issue, affecting one in four
Canadians who reach old age, and becoming a greater issue as the
population ages. According to a new poll commissioned by CCB, this is a
major issue for Canadians, with 82% saying the loss of vision is their
most feared disability. This compares to loss of hearing (3%), loss of
a leg (4%) or loss of an arm (2%).

The same poll showed that more than two-thirds of Canadians (70%) feel
that regular eye exams and vision care should be covered as part of
provincial public health plans. Almost as many (65%) would expect if
they lost their sight that medical treatments and assistive devices
would be made available to them through the public health system, but
this is not the case at present. The visually impaired have to rely on
non-profit groups, such as the CCB, for help and services.

"This shows there is a disconnect between what Canadians expect they
would receive if they had serious vision impairment and the current
reality," said Louis Gillis, National President of the CCB. "We want
our campaign to raise awareness about how vision care isn't the health
priority it should be. We want government action so Canadians really do
get the vision care we deserve."

As a symbol of patients not getting what they deserve, the CCB is
drawing attention to what it sees as a potentially serious safety issue
in British Columbia and Nova Scotia related to treatments provided by
the public health plans in those provinces for the leading cause of
adult-onset vision loss, age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The newest treatment, Lucentis, is a great step forward by stopping and
even reversing vision loss in many patients. It is now available on the
public drug plans of every province, but B.C. and Nova Scotia also
allow their public plans to give patients the cancer drug Avastin,
which is not approved by Health Canada for treating wet AMD, because it
costs less. However, a recent study from Johns Hopkins University in
the U.S. showed greater rates of death and stroke among people using
the cancer drug Avastin for wet AMD compared to those on the approved
drug, Lucentis.

"We are calling on all the provinces to ensure they put patient safety
ahead of cost considerations by ensuring persons with wet AMD get the
treatment that has been approved for the condition," said Ms Gillis.
"To do otherwise is unacceptable to us as patients. British Columbia
and Nova Scotia need to stop allowing their public plans to provide an
off-label cancer drug for wet AMD when an approved alternative exists
and is available."

The CCB sees this as an important example of how vision care has been
made a very low priority in our healthcare system, with governments
seeking to provide the bare minimum for a vital health issue. As a
result, Canadians are left to provide for themselves for many aspects
of vision care. The CCB poll found that, for seven out of 10 Canadians
(71%), cost is a factor when deciding to get vision and eye care
services.

The poll also indicates that Canadians would be receptive to more and
better training programs to help visually impaired people get
appropriate jobs to allow them to be productive members of society.
Almost nine out of 10 Canadians (89%) agreed that more training
programs should be made available. And 60% agreed that those with
visual impairments should be given special consideration when applying
for a job.

As part of its campaign, the CCB has sent letters to every Minister and
Deputy Minister of Health in Canada, urging a greater priority on
vision care more in line with the serious nature of vision health
issues and the importance Canadians put on them.

The Vision Critical / Angus Reid Forum poll for CCB
From May 27 to May 28, 2011, an online survey was conducted by Vision
Critical among 1,007 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus
Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error, which measures sampling
variability, is +/- 3.1% 19 times out of 20. The results were
statistically weighted according to the most current education, age,
gender and region census data to ensure a sample representative of the
entire adult population of Canada.

The Canadian Council of the Blind
The Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) was founded in 1944 by blind war
veterans and graduates from schools of the blind. All officers and
directors are blind or visually impaired which gives a unique
sensitivity to the needs of the blind community. The CCB is a
registered charity pursuant to the provisions of the Income Tax Act
(Canada). The CCB has over 65 chapters across Canada and is the largest
membership based organization for the blind. Recently, under changes to
its new bylaws, the CCB encourages the sighted community to become
members to assist in its mission to address the issues of blindness and
visual impairment which affect many families in Canada. The CCB deals
with the ongoing effects of blindness with specific programs to
encourage active participation in local communities, education, sports
and recreation and employment. The national office is located in
Ottawa, Ontario. The CCB is the "Voice of the Blind®" in Canada. More
info at: www.ccbnational.net